This coming-of-age movie follows two teenage guys who seem completely opposite on paper, even though they’re both carrying baggage from their past. We get to watch them deal with it and fall for each other along the way. It starts off feeling like a teen rom-com, then becomes something much more personal by the end. Not gonna lie, I have no idea why they chose the English title they did, because the original title translates as Fifteen Days, and that fits so much better. Apparently it’s based on a book, and honestly, what makes it work is how straightforward it remains throughout. It has this warm, sunny vibe, and it’s not only about two boys falling in love. It’s really about learning to quit hiding after spending years trying not to be seen. Felipe is sixteen and has been insecure about his weight for years because other kids gave him hell about it growing up. He’s openly gay and lives with his mom, who’s a major presence in his life. When summer comes around, he’d honestly rather sit inside binge-watching things and reading manga than head outdoors to swim. Then Caio, his neighbor and the guy Felipe’s had a crush on since childhood, winds up staying at their house for two weeks while his parents are gone. Like that isn’t awkward enough already, Felipe realizes that he and Caio haven’t even talked in years. They drifted apart, and Felipe has convinced himself that Caio is one of those straight jock guys who could never be interested in someone like him.…
Honestly, this was such a refreshing film. Rather than leaning into the familiar trans victimhood narrative, it goes somewhere much more nuanced and compelling. It unapologetically allows its trans protagonist to inhabit two spaces usually treated as incompatible for trans characters. She pursues her sexual fantasies while also attempting to create the kind of family life trans people have historically been excluded from. The film’s point is basically that identity holds multitudes, and it refuses to confine her within society’s expectations. A girl can have it all, and this film argues that confidently.The main character is a successful, famous trans theatre actress. She’s fierce, highly sexually active, and entirely unapologetic about it. One night, she meets a gay Mexican lawyer who remained in Argentina, let’s be real, for the hot men. They’re strongly attracted to one another and begin a relationship. He meets her family, and before long it’s obvious that having a relationship hasn’t altered her behaviour whatsoever. She continues hooking up with local men on the side, and their relationship is openly defined as just that: open. The film takes a turn when they choose to adopt a child, and near the end we learn that the child is HIV positive. Yet this shift toward domesticity and building a family doesn’t go over well with her trans friends, who think she’s betraying them by trying to slot herself into a conventional life. At the same time, their relationship develops, changes, and endures plenty of highs and lows. There’s a continual clash between convention and her rebellious, free-spirited side.…
I found this film almost magnetic in a way I couldn't fully explain. Some films have that rare quality where every frame feels worth taking in—the people, the settings, the movement—and this one completely has it. It’s a fictionalised retelling of real moments from the life of dancer and choreographer Rianto, who performs the Lengger dance, a traditional form from his native island of Java in which men adopt feminine appearances and movements.The film follows Juno in something like chapters, with each section capturing a different phase of his life—his childhood, his teenage years—and each one centres on a crisis connected to how the people around him interpret his body and sexuality. Having grown up without a mother figure, Juno is at ease with solitude and isolation. When he is young, a dance master notices the grace and flexibility of his body and recognises him as a natural dancer, yet those same effeminate qualities make him a target for bullying. As a teenager, we see him learning to sew, and much of this chapter focuses on his bond with a boxer from the village. Juno becomes a sort of assistant to him, and the boxer genuinely enjoys his company. The homosexual undertones are unmistakable, and Juno seems utterly captivated by the man’s physicality, viewing him as somewhere between a friend and an obsession. He trembles as he watches the boxer attempt to force himself into the version of masculinity everyone expects from a real man. Sadly, that storyline goes nowhere hopeful, since the boxer nearly loses his life because of…
Honestly, they should’ve just named this show J&J. The two leads are Jerome and Jinn, and the show itself even calls them by that nickname a few times. Maybe there were title issues, but J&J would’ve suited it so much better. Head 2 Head just sounds a little off. Anyway, it begins like a pretty standard enemies to lovers story, but give it a little time and there’s more happening under the surface. It’s 12 episodes, around 45 minutes each, and overall it’s a decent watch.Jerome and Jinn have lived across from each other since childhood, and they’ve been rivals for just as long. They tease each other, talk each other down, and basically disagree about everything. Even so, they’re in the same friend group, along with Van and Farm. Jerome gets hurt after a car race and begins having visions. He soon realizes they’re always tied to Jinn and the world around him—sometimes comforting, sometimes seriously unsettling. Since he’s injured, both sets of parents decide Jerome should recover at Jinn’s university condo. While he’s busy worrying about Jinn, Jerome starts catching real feelings, and eventually they begin dating. But the visions don’t stop. They show Jinn arguing with his mother, being in an accident and maybe dying, and also the two of them growing apart, though other times they become boyfriends. Jerome gradually shares some of what he’s seen with Jinn, and together they try to change the future by having Jerome stay close, support him, and love him. Alongside that is Van and Farm’s love story. Van is…
It is a genuinely fun return, with the entire gang back for season 2. Having watched both seasons back-to-back, I found this one felt slightly flat compared to season 1, though that might just be because I went straight from one to the other. It isn't bad by any means; it is simply difficult to live up to the predecessor. Everyone is back and remains hilarious, including Mam, Dickie, Stewart, Lucinda, Sal, and Neil. The series picks up exactly where it left off with the same madness and the same crowd, consisting of six episodes that are thirty minutes each.Dickie is back on the hunt now that he is single again, while Mam faces some seriously uncomfortable history that has come back to haunt her. Sal finds herself caught in a messy situation involving Danni and Mel, and Mel has begun dating a new, truly insufferable TikTok type. Lucinda's relationship with Neil hits a snag upon the discovery that his ex-girlfriend's name is tattooed on his back, whereas Stewart is out enjoying life. Dickie handles his singlehood by making everything about himself and convincing himself that every stranger he encounters is a rival. While Mam continues to be the glue keeping everyone from falling apart, her own mess begins when her estranged wife appears. Stewart remains absolutely brilliant, using his deadpan humor to navigate all these new developments. The setups for the episodes this season are quite specific. In the first two, the gang somehow loses a white rabbit inside a carpet warehouse—complete with fun Alice in Wonderland touches—and Stewart's…
Picking up immediately after the season two cliffhanger, Season three finds Danny and his newly estranged ex Matty both diving back into the New York City dating scene. The structure remains consistent: six episodes, each running about twenty five minutes. While the honest observations regarding middle aged gay life in NYC remain impactful, the sharp, witty energy that defined the first two seasons feels somewhat muted this time around. Instead, the focus shifts toward Danny and Matt navigating their personal issues and determining if there is anything left worth saving. There is also a real sense that the show might be reaching its conclusion.Alongside Danny, Matt now gets his own moments speaking directly to camera, marking the biggest shift this season. Following the Season two finale where Matt asked Danny to be his boyfriend and was rejected, both men are now navigating a sense of bitterness. Danny attempts a relationship with someone into polyamory, but it fails to work out. Meanwhile, Matt continues to date, yet he repeatedly hits the same wall: no one can replicate the effortless chemistry and fun role play he shared with Danny, a realization that begins to mess with his head and impact his sex life. Several episodes track both men through the messy, strange situations inherent in dating. In one instance, Danny is tricked by a man into filming their sex, which is then uploaded to a gay porn site that Matt happens to discover, leading him to tell Danny to have it removed. The show also features a funny episode where both men…
I had been hearing buzz about this movie for some time. Word was that several film festivals rejected it because it pushes the limits of queer storytelling so aggressively. Set during a single, alcohol-fueled night in Los Angeles, the plot follows an internet sex worker and his former middle school teacher—a convicted sex offender. The narrative dives immediately into taboo subjects, trauma, and unresolved abuse. Having watched it now, I understand the festivals' hesitation. A central theme permeates the film: the notion that the outward desire to be loved and the desire to be wanted can appear nearly identical, even when they are fundamentally different. Aaron Eagle makes a living as a fetish cam performer, finding gratification in humiliating his audience by hurling slurs like faggot at them; evidently, there is a market for such behavior. When a stranger offers him fifty grand to spend a night together, Aaron accepts without hesitation and arrives at the man's residence. Wearing a balaclava to conceal his identity, the stranger intends to record their entire conversation, peppering Aaron with questions to peel back the persona and find the real man. It becomes apparent quite early that Aaron is not being entirely truthful. Once the mask is removed, the man is revealed to be Hank, a man convicted and fired for the sexual abuse of a student, essentially a pedophile. As they discuss their histories, Hank eventually confesses the details of what happened with that student to Aaron. Aaron, in turn, shares stories of his childhood and the path that led to his current…
Stumbling into this tragicomedy was an unexpected delight, offering a compelling look at a man spiraling through a messy breakup and a toxic situationship. While the narrative itself might not break new ground, the execution feels remarkably fresh and the overall approach is distinctive. It provides an unfiltered, honest examination of body image, queer dating, and the unending battle with self-worth. Thanks to energetic, rapid editing and a voiceover paired with a nonlinear structure, the storytelling really succeeds. Ultimately, the film suggests that moving forward sometimes requires looking back first. The story begins with Benji being dumped by his boyfriend. He enters a heavy spiral of rejection, drinking daily while his mother becomes increasingly concerned. He eventually understands that revisiting his past is the only way to move forward. Benji has realized he is submissive and gravitates toward dominant, somewhat rough men in bed, yet he still craves someone who will hold his hand and comfort him afterward. We flash back eighteen months to an airport where he meets Jake, an incredibly attractive man, as they both head to Amsterdam for the weekend. Jake establishes immediately that he is straight. Despite this, the two click instantly; Jake brings a girl back with them and later sleeps with Benji as well. They form an arrangement to meet in Amsterdam every month, with Jake paying for everything. Even though the sex is great, Jake insists on his straightness throughout. This arrangement eventually collapses because Benji wants more than just a physical connection, and Jake makes it clear that will never happen. Jake…
At its heart, this film is a moving story of identity, courage, and inner freedom, focusing on an intersex person's struggle to understand their true self. The decision to cast an actual intersex actor for the lead role deserves applause. This appears to be a remake of a classic film of same name released in 1972; however, because I haven't seen that version, I lack a point of comparison, which works in my favor. The story takes place in Spain and follows Adela, a woman in her twenties who is the only child of a conservative couple in a small provincial town. Most of her time is spent working in the family antique shop, living a life defined by her mother's total silence regarding Adela's intersex condition—a condition that has caused her significant social discrimination—and her mother's overprotectiveness. Adela finds small, strange pockets of normalcy despite these restrictions, finding her only real outlet for free conversation in a gay priest. This quiet existence is disrupted by the arrival of two new people. A male friend returns from London and shares a kiss with her, and around that same time, a lively lesbian physiotherapist enters her life. For the first time, Adela feels like herself and experiences true freedom while around the physiotherapist. Yet, she remains caught in a struggle over her own sexual and gender identity. Seeing the physiotherapist kiss another woman is a devastating blow. The situation reaches a breaking point when Adela learns the truth about her intersex condition: her parents had her undeveloped testicles removed without her…
Set within a performing arts program, this GMMTV series tracks university students navigating jealousy, ambition, desire, and complicated relationships. It feels as though the studio gathered nearly every lead actor from their previous projects, resulting in a cast filled with familiar faces. The narrative centers on three main couples alongside several side characters who play significant roles in the plot. Each of the 12 episodes lasts approximately 55-60 minutes. The plot kicks off as students prepare for a stage production of Romeo and Romeo, with Jack directing and holding open auditions. While Jack's ex, Dean, used to secure lead roles automatically in Jack's productions, Jack declares that this time, roles are earned through the best audition. Dean attempts to seduce Jack in hopes of winning him back, but Jack rejects him. Meanwhile, Raffy hopes that landing a role will allow him to get close to Jack, though Jack shows no interest in him. This creates a cycle where Raffy, after being rejected by Jack, hooks up with Jack's stepbrother, Rome, who has feelings for Raffy but is constantly brushed off. The third couple involves Rua and Arnold; Rua, who is Dean's roommate, friend, and the show's costume designer, has a crush on Arnold and encourages him to audition for the lead. Ultimately, Arnold and Dean secure the two lead roles, leaving Raffy with only a side part. As rehearsals progress, the boundaries between vulnerability, rivalry, jealousy, and love begin to blur. The series captures how emotions overflow when people collaborate on a creative project, as ego, ambition, insecurity, attraction, and…
It is rare for the Thai BL genre to step outside its typical comfort zone, making this unexpected blend of horror, folklore, black magic, and a complete murder mystery a real shock. I was even more surprised by my own response; I found myself totally gripped by the thriller elements, to the point where the BL moments occasionally felt like they were disrupting an otherwise well-constructed and tight mystery. I never imagined I would say that, as I typically find myself complaining when shows of this type lack sufficient romance. Across thirteen episodes of roughly 50 minutes each, every installment feels meaningful and offers something substantial. The series begins with blood and gore and ends with starlight and kisses, with everything in between encompassing suspense, heartbreak, guilt, black magic, the messy reality of not being over an ex, and even a hometown trip with a brand new boyfriend. The series sets its tone right from the start at a crime scene where seven bodies hang from a banyan tree, their eyes and mouths sealed shut and each at a different stage of decomposition. When Inspector Singha and his team arrive, they find only one person at the scene: a commoner named Thup, who serves as both the sole witness and the only suspect. Thup is in a state of near-collapse, terrified because he has been almost fully possessed by ghosts; strangely, these entities only seem to retreat when Singha is near him. After Singha begins questioning him in earnest, he realizes quite rapidly that Thup is not the killer. However,…
As the final entry in my coverage of the MuTeLuv anthology, this marks the second of the series' only two BL stories among the eight total. Spanning four episodes of approximately 45 to 50 minutes each, the plot utilizes an enemies to lovers setup that leans heavily into comedy to maintain a lighthearted tone. While it succeeds at being what it sets out to be, the experience might have been even sharper with some tighter editing. After making a superstitious vow to visit nine temples if he secured his position, Tum becomes the leader of the Nuea-in gang, but his luck spirals downward when he fails to follow through. He suffers repeated beatings at the hands of the rival gang, which is led by Oh, a man famous for stitching the insignias of every defeated leader onto his own pants after snatching their badges. When a friend suggests that this broken promise is the source of his misfortune, Tum decides to finally embark on the nine-temple merit-making trip. In a twist of fate, Oh is also out performing the exact same journey, forcing the two of them to travel together despite their mutual reluctance. As they spend multiple nights and several temple visits in each other's company, they begin to truly understand one another, uncovering their shared fears, family issues, insecurities, and actual life goals. As feelings begin to surface, they hook up, yet Tum finds himself unable to admit to his friends that his feelings for Oh are real. He eventually breaks through that barrier, and love does its…
